People walk past poster of far-right political movement CasaPound which call to vote "No" at the constitutional referendum, on November 30, 2016 in Rome. Italy holds a referendum on December 4, 2016 on proposed constitutional reforms that are considered the most important in the eurozone country since World War II. / AFP / FILIPPO MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)

How populism could shake up Europe: A visual guide

By CNN staff

Updated 0321 GMT (1121 HKT) December 5, 2016

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(CNN)Energized by President-elect Donald Trump's victory, Europe's populist movements are on the cusp of sweeping far-right, nationalist and euroskeptic parties into power across the continent in a series of upcoming elections.

Once consigned to the fringes of the political scene, these parties now legitimately stand front and center alongside their more traditional counterparts.

Here's a look at the key European countries facing a political overhaul -- and how they got there.

Italy

Italy is well-known for its fluid political spectrum, having seen a number of populist parties come and go over the years.

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The revolving door swung against current Prime Minister Matteo Renzi Sunday, when voters rejected his proposed changes to the country's constitution.

He had promised they'd help revive Italy's flagging economy, but voters used the opportunity to push him out, setting the scene for a general election.

Experts say that if Grillo comes to power, he'll likely follow through on promises to call a referendum to scrap the euro, reintroduce the Italian lira, and perhaps even follow Britain out of the European Union.

France

The popularity of France's National Front has soared in the wake of terrorist attacks and an influx of refugees fleeing Middle East unrest.

Marine Le Pen, leader since 2011, has tried to "detoxify" the party founded by her father Jean-Marie of its reputation for racism and xenophobia -- and has seen its share of the vote rise to 27% in last year's regional elections.

In a recent interview with CNN, Le Pen said that her party can cure France's economic malaise; since the 2008 economic crisis unemployment has risen from 7.1% to around 10%, while almost a quarter of the nation's youth is now out of work.

Economic growth in France, the eurozone's second-largest economy, has also slowed in recent months to just 0.2% of GDP.

Le Pen is hoping that the recent rise in populist parties and politicians around Europe and the United States will continue in April and May 2017 when French voters go to the polls to elect a new president.

The National Front leader has utilized similar tactics to the US President-elect by tapping into frustrations of the French electorate and focusing on a more nationalistic agenda to sway voters to her corner. This week she vowed to oversee a return to France's glory days, saying if she were in power, the country would be "nothing like you have seen in the last 30 years."

Germany

German Chancellor Angela Merkel took a bold step by vowing to welcome one million refugees in 2015, and in 2016, she paid for it at the ballot box.

Formed in 2013, the anti-immigrant party Alternative for Germany (AfD) was initially galvanized into action by what it saw as Merkel's bungled handling of the eurozone crisis -- specifically the multiple Greek bailouts. However, since then the party has assumed a more nationalistic platform strongly opposing the influx of migrants.

AfD contributed to defeats for Merkel's Christian Democratic Union in Berlin and her home state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern during regional elections this year. Among the top issues for voters: rising rents, increasing gentrification and refugees.

With national elections due in the autumn of 2017, and following a poll suggesting that 82% of Germans were unhappywith her open door policy, Merkel admitted the country was not handling the influx as well as it should.

Netherlands

Voters in the Netherlands are set to elect a new parliament in March 2017, when the anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant Party for Freedom (PVV) hopes to build on its strong showing in the past two elections.

Its leader, the flamboyant Geert Wilders, made his name internationally in 2008 with the provocative online film "Fitna," which juxtaposed the aftermath of terrorist attacks with verses from the Quran.

The Netherlands has a rapidly growing Muslim population -- an estimated 6% of the total in 2010.

Wilders has run on a party manifesto focused on a so-called "de-Islamification" of the Netherlands, in which he lays out an 11-point plan pledging, among other things, to shut down all the country's Islamic schools and close the borders to migrants from Islamic nations.